An Introduction to Electrosurgical Handpieces [FAQs]

Dr. William T. Bovie is credited with developing the first electrosurgical unit.

Though the Bovie® electrosurgical unit was unprecedented when it was first used nearly a century ago, today, over 80% of surgical procedures involve electrosurgical devices.

The device that typically comes to mind when someone says “electrosurgery” is the electrosurgical handpiece.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss the different types of electrosurgical handpieces and how they work.

Recommended: Read more about how ATL can help with your electrosurgical device.

What is an electrosurgical handpiece?

During an electrosurgical procedure, five pieces of equipment typically comprise the electrosurgical system: the generator, the cable, the electrode, the grounding pad/return electrode (when needed), and the handpiece.

The generator (sometimes called “the ESU” for “electrosurgical unit”) is the piece of capital equipment that provides power to the handpiece and the electrode.

The cable connects the handpiece and electrode to the generator with its interconnect components.

The electrode is the part of the device that actually comes into contact with the patient—it is the “tip” of the device.

In certain situations, the grounding pad/return electrode closes the circuit and disperses energy.

As electrosurgery uses an alternating current, the circuit must be closed, or the device will not work.

Finally, as the name implies, the electrosurgical handpiece is the device that the physician actually holds and manipulates while performing the surgery.

As many types of electrodes serve different functions, handpieces are typically designed to accept different tips—such as a scalpel, loop, or pair of forceps.

What is an electrosurgical pencil? What about an electrosurgical pen?

Electrosurgical handpieces are often shaped like writing and/or cutting utensils to have a natural feel.

For this reason, when people refer to “electrosurgical pencils” or “electrosurgical pens,” they typically refer to the handpiece itself.

However, sometimes, the terms “pencil” and “pen” are explicitly used to refer to electrosurgical handpieces with a surgical needle electrode with a distinct point on the tip.

What is the difference between an electrosurgical knife and an electrosurgical scalpel?

When discussing electrosurgical devices, the phrases “knife” and “scalpel” typically refer to the electrode type.

As mentioned above, electrosurgical handpieces are often designed to accept many different types of electrodes (or tips).

The terms “electrosurgical knife” and “electrosurgical scalpel” are typically used about “bladed” electrodes that have the shape of a knife’s edge on one (or both) sides.

However, it’s important to note that just because an electrode isn’t shaped like a knife doesn’t mean it can’t cut through the skin or other tissue.

Loop electrodes (shaped like a cowboy’s lasso) commonly remove tissue smoothly during laparoscopic surgeries.

What are some of the challenges with developing electrosurgical handpieces?

Though electrosurgery has existed for nearly a century, the functions behind electrosurgery are still not completely understood.

Similarly, though the electrosurgical handpiece has been used for years, it is still being updated and innovated to produce better patient outcomes.

Due to the nature of RF energy (which is utilized by most modern electrosurgical devices), developing a device that can control and contain the energy is one challenge.

With demands for multifunctional devices on the rise, electrosurgical device engineers face another challenge: adding suction and/or smoke-clearing capabilities to their handpieces.

Creating a handpiece that can cut, coagulate, and clear smoke while creating a cable assembly that will enable it to work correctly with a generator can be an overwhelming task—even for a team of mechanical and electrical engineers.

For this reason, we recommend working with a partner with experience bringing electrosurgical devices to mark.

Additional resources.

Electrosurgery has become a staple of modern medicine.

At the center of electrosurgical systems is the electrosurgical handpiece.

Download our free ebook to learn more about developing an energy-driven device, such as an electrosurgical handpiece.